The invention relates generally to a plug and socket electrical connector, and more particularly, to connectors for printed circuits having a socket type spring contact strip and a plug type terminal strip insertable into the socket.
In view of the continuously progressive miniaturization of apparatus and components in electrical communications and transmission engineering, the construction of plug and socket connections becomes of constantly increasing importance, particularly with respect to increasing the number of electrical connections while maintaining or reducing the physical dimensions of the connector. A typical plug and socket connector for printed circuit boards is of the D-shaped type which provides the proper orientation of the plug into the socket. An example of an electrical connector is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,500,295 to Faber et al., wherein a plug and socket connector adapted for use on printed circuit boards is shown. The teachings of this patent are incorporated herein by reference.
As printed circuit boards become more complex embodying multiple layers within a board, the multiplicity of connections needed for communication with the printed circuit board increases while the area available on the board for placement of components and connectors is reduced. Typical D-shaped connectors are of a small size and are called subminiature D-shaped electrical connectors. These connectors carry up to a maximum of 50 electrical contacts. For electrical communication between computer equipment and peripherals a communications bus protocol is needed. One such protocol authorized by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is the Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI). There is a growing interest within the industry for a connector that can provide more than a one byte wide SCSI bus while remaining within the same form factor or physical dimensions of an existing subminiature D-shaped 50 pin connector. It is desirable to maintain both upward and downward compatibility between connectors of existing and new designs. The needs expressed above lead to the creation of the connector of the present invention.